If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

After discussing this idea with a few of the others who supply information here, I've decided to start this tutorial thread where members can add their own tutorials, hopefully to become a resource for newer members to read.

ANYONE IS WELCOME TO POST TUTORIALS HERE THAT THEY THINK CAN HELP THE MANDO COMMUNITY.

Please, please do not post comments in this thread, as it will detract from the information that this thread entails. If you have a comment to make, please PM the person who created that topic, especially if they need to make a correction.

Also those who do post here, please don't encourage people to post by responding to any posts directed to them (unless of course you choose to PM them).

I will begin with the glossary and post my molding tutorials here, the best turorials are the ones that have photos or illustrations, so please keep that in mind before posting your tutorial, prior planning helps a lot too. Also, it might be wise to post something like:

PLEASE PM YOURNAME IF YOU THINK SOMETHING NEEDS ADDING OR EDITING

At the end

To publicly answer a few questions I had via PM.

1. So, what types of tutorial can I put in there?

Anything that has to do with costume building, obviously, referencing Mandalorian armour, but if you think people can get something out of how you wired your iron man eye lights, then post it.

2. How should I set it out?

It needs to be easy to understand, any sort of text talk is a no-no, as foreign members may not pick up your references. It's usually best to do it in a structured way, such as a list or step by step and, of course, a picture tells a thousand words.

3. I'm not sure if what I have as a tutorial is good enough

Post it anyway, you never know, your little tidbit and suggestion may save someone a few hours of frustration and this is a community to share your ideas and help each other to build great armour.

4. Can I post advice ?

Yes, but best make sure it is thorough and your reasons are explained properly, A'den Skirata's helmet advice on the Mercs forum is a good example.

Finally, if you are reading this in hopes of finding a how to that will help you then good luck!

Beskar’gam: Mandolorian term for armour.Bucket: Slang term for the helmet. Also known as “buy’ce” and “Lid”.Traviss, Karen: Writer of several Star Wars novels that describe a fair deal of Mandolorian culture.

Modelling Terms

Pepakura Japanese art of making models out of paper, usually the model templates are created from a 3d model and created using software designed to work out how to make the model flat.

Casting and Molding terms

Airholes: Caused by air getting trapped in the molding substance, be it the mold making compound or the casting material. These should be avoided at all costs.Cure: The process where a liquid compound becomes a solid, both with silicone and resin.Geltime: Measured in minutes, the time it takes resin to form from a liquid to a hardened gel, making it unable to spread.Key: Item used to help the Mold Jacket fit correctly around the mold.Latex: Can be used as a molding compound, or as part of a model, is more perishable than RTV Silicone and is very flexible so must have a mold Jacket for molding pieces.Mold: Item that has the detailing of a plug that can be used to create copies.Mold box: Fixed boundary to prevent liquid molds such as RTV silicone from flowing off the plug to aid the creation of a thick mold.Mold Jacket: Fiberglass or Plaster case that gives flexible molds rigidity. Also known as “jacket”.Plug: The model that is being used to create a mold.Pot life: How long it takes before the silicone or resin has cured too much to put on the model without gunking it up.RTV Silicone: Flexible but rigid molding rubber, comes in two parts that when mixed hardens around the model to form a rubber mold. RTV stands for Room Temperature Vulcanising.

This molding method is usually best for items that are hollow, such as helmets and probably jet packs.

Unfortunately, the painting method cannot guarantee that you will not have airholes sitting against the model, and the only way you will find out is when you peel the mold off at the end of the process. This is the major reason why cast buckets need a bit of prep work before they are painted, air holes will create little bubbles when cast.

The only way to get a completely smooth cast is taking your time.

Cure: The process where the liquid silicone becomes a solid rubber.Pot life: How long it takes before the silicone has cured too much to put on the model without gunking it up.

There are two types of silicone Condense cure and a Addition cure, the first I believe works by using the air to dry, the addition I believe is a chemical reaction.

To make the RTV paste, you need to mix two ingredients, usually the main form and the catalyst, sometimes the catalyst is dyed a colour to help you mix the two together.

There is usually a ratio of how this is mixed, this is very important to get right as they add to the confusion by changing the way the mix should be handled.

There are two main ways.

1. By weight.
2. By volume.

1 needs to be measured on the scales, 2 needs to have a measuring cup, painters' mixing cups are great for this.

The ratio is usually around 20 parts silicone to 1 part catalyst but can go all the way up to a 1:1 ratio. However,t his can also be a percentage figure.

So you need to ensure that you measure out the silicone and use a calculator to find whatever weight or volume of the catalyst you need.

The silicone should give you an idea of when it should totally cure, but with the painting part, you need to have it still partially cured so the next layer will bond to the one underneath it.

Most layers should cure within 24 hours, so you can spread layers over a 2 day period.

RTV Silicone is expensive and if you want maximum yield for minimum cost then you should use what I lovingly call the Stormtrooperguy minimum and go for 2 thin layers, then add the thickening agent for 2 thick layers and finally going over with 1 smooth layer. However, the more layers you have on the more sturdy your mold will be, which means less chance of distortion.

2 things you should note about silicone, it will run, so, give it a once over so the area is covered, but also ensure that there is more silicone at the top of your model, after the 24 hours, it will be at the bottom of it unless you use a booster, but I've found that they are unpredictable. The second thing is keep a note of your potlife and aim to get an even spread quickly, the last thing you want is your silicone beginning to harden on you and it not getting into the right crevaces.

However, to contradict the second piece of advice slightly, you should ensure that your first layer is done smoothly and slowly, to prevent any airbubbles forming.

The method

1. Ensure you have a suitable base.

As mentioned before, your silicone will run like a kid's nose! So you need to ensure that it doesn't slew off your model and onto the floor. Hence, you will need a base with sides that will act as a tray. So a tray, beer tray or, in the case of this example, an old plastic sandwich display tray.

I also recommend getting a "Lazy Susan", also known as the rotating cheeseboard. You can place your model on it and will be able to rotate it around, so you're not leaning over the model or trying to rotate a tray around, anything that will risk you making contact with the model once the silicone is on.

Model on the sandwich tray and Lazy Susan

Once you have sorted stopping the silicone going all over the floor, the next thing you want it not to do is go underneath the model, so you will have to seal it off.

1. I roughly put the modelling putty (Plasticine) on the bottom edge.

2. I used my finger to smooth it in and then I cut an angle from a coffee stirrer and used that to smooth it out to the line. The important part here is not to allow any gaps, get it as smooth as you can so it looks like it is part of the model, it will give you that extra bit for cutting down when you cast your models from the mold.

3. And that's it so far, the great thing is that once you let the modelling putty cool down it becomes a harder surface and becomes quite sturdy.

If you choose not to utilise this process the silicone will seep under your model, which causes a few casting problems and usually means you have to cut it away afterwards. Plus it looks a lot neater too

2. Paint that silicone on

RTV silicone is a liquid rubber substance that, when the two parts mix, dry to become a solid rubber form. With that, just remember that this rubber sticks pretty much to everything, including your brush.

So as advice, make sure you have several brushes to complete the job, I usually recommend 1 brush for every layer, you'll never use that as long as you do your best to clean the excess silicone off the brush after each layer, but sooner or later it will get so gunked up you'll have to throw it away.

In fact, brushes are one of the biggest costs in casting helmets.

Right, so you've mixed your Rubber to the specifications set out on the tin and you have a pot full of silicone to paint onto your model.

1. Paint the first layer on, take your time with this layer and do not use accellorants with the rubber, take particular care with crevices and gaps, such as the keyslots, and make sure you layer on thickly in these areas, the silicone will find its way into these areas, but as these are detail, you want to ensure that there is a thick wall of rubber behind it so that the detail comes out sharp when you pull the rubber off the mold.

When you have finished coating the entire model if you have any left, use it all up and layer it thickly to the top of the model, don't worry, it will be at the bottom of the model by the time it is dry.

As you'll see in the next shots, the first coat of silicone RTV has been painted onto the model.

2. I give that first coat of silicone 5 hours to cure (Remember full cure is 24 hours)and I go for a second coat with normal silicone.

3. The third coat is a thickened mixture, to thicken the mixture, you will need to add a thickening agent, which is usually sold separately. It's best to find the agent that is designed to go with your silicone.

Mix up your silicone as normal and then you add the thickener as you are mixing.

The best way I found is to add the thickner a part at a time until you are happy with the consistency.

You will also need to be quick with thickened silicone, it has a shorter potlife than the normal stuff, so just trowl it on.

You can add as many layers as your bank budget can afford, but remember, the more layers you add, the sturdier your mold is.

4. When you are on your penultimate thickened coat, you can use the excess in the pot to begin to build the key.

The key is a barrier that helps as a guide for the jacket, it also gives a good free zone for you to put your attachment screws in to prevent the jacket from skewing and distorting the mold.

It's just a question of dripping the silicone on.

It's wise to ensure that your key is quite large, depending on what you will be using to bolt the jacket to the silicone.

5. Final Thickened goop is put on with a cardboard Key so it has an object to lay against, the cardboard will be usefull in the jacketing stage.

6. Coat of normal runny goop over the top to take out some of the hard edges. It may need a few coats though.

3. Make the Jacket

1. Just because I'm a bit of a perfectionist I trim the edge of the key to ensure that the fiberglass goes on as smoothly as possible, this is using a craft knife to cut a straight edge and the unwanted parts of the silicone is peeled off across the top and bottom.

2. The other thing I did is a lesson from my last attempt. I found it difficult to realign the base of the mold to the jacket when I took it all apart and put it back together again and I felt that I needed to find a way to ensure proper alignment.

So what I have done is cut peg holes into the base lip of the silicone. What will happen then is that the resin and fiberglass will be pushed into the hole creating a peg. This will mean than when I come to marry the two together once the model is removed I will know exactly where the model should be placed and make it quicker to align the mold and the jacket together correctly.

3. It's hard to take pictures while you are fiberglassing I'm afraid, so you'll have to settle for a description.

The key has separated the helmet into two sections, so take it a section at a time.

Pre prep is allways best here, so I would suggest you have all the things you need at hand, including the fiberglass mat pre cut.

a. Coat the silicone, cardboard key with Mold release agent. This will help the mold come off quickly and stop the resin from sticking to the cardboard key.

b. Coat the silicone and cardboard key with a layer of resin

c. I tend to coat the area I am placing the fiberglass with resin first, place the mat and then put silicone over the top.

d. Keep placing the mat squares until the silicone is covered.

e. Allow to dry.

4. Repeat for the second jacket.

5. Where the jacket meets the silicone key, use a drill to cut out a hole between each jacket side, you can place bolts in, but I use screws as they are easier to remove.

4. Mold removal

Number one tip here Take your time.

For the jacket, remove the screws and ease off the fiberglass gently, it will take time and patience, trying to rip it straight off may damage the fiberglass or worse, the mold.

Once you have both sides of the jacket off, remove the cardboard key and begin to work the mold off the model. Just remember that time and patience will get the mold off safely.

If you are using cardboard as a plug, removeal can leave a damaged model, but hopefully you can fix this up pretty quickly.

5. Final moments

A good silicone mold is one that can keep its shape under its own weight, however, in the case of painted molds, it should keep it shape when you hold it at the lip.

By the way, that mold is being held by my left hand and it still keeps its shape!

Once everything is hunky dory, you need to put the jacket back on the mold, now, if you've placed the pegs on then you'll find this is a 2 second job, if not, good luck with that

This is the simplest method for molding with silicone. Now, this has been done with extensive research into the process, so I know that that I won't be steering you wrong.

I call this method the "Drip" method and here it is step by step:

Type of objects you should mold with this method

You should only use this method if your item has a large flat area you can use as your base, so I will be using this method for the RF stalk.

1. You need a smooth base.

A flat bit of glass or large tile is best, but you can use plastics, anything that won't allow the silicone to get under it and get caught in crevaces. Trust me, it's pretty persistent stuff and if there is a hole, it will find its way in there.

2. Making the container.

Silicone needs an area with which to work in, if that area is thick enough then you can mold straight into a silicone mold without the need of a hard jacket. So you have to be generous with it. The problem is that with a variety of shape your containing box needs to vary too. depending on the size of the object you can use cups and boxes, but I found an ingenious method to make custom containing boxes.... LEGO!

I can't remember the name of the guy who put this method out there, but serious props to him and if he's here thanks mate!

Yes, Lego is probably the most diverse box making material you can use as in the picture above, you can size the box to the model. You can see that I have given it a lot of room at the sides and top, this is the level of thickness you want to be looking for.

Of course a mold is 3d, so I have put another layer of bricks to sturdy the model and have some depth to the mold. Ideally, you'll be wanting to fill this to the brim with silicone.

4. Seal off the model

This is an important step, I can't quite emphasise enough how pervasive Silicone is in its liquid form, if there is a micro fracture in your model, it will find it, that isn't too much of a problem as you can trim the model afterwards, but to ensure that you don't have to, you will need to seal off the model.

I use re-usable modelling putty or paste, it's sometimes known as plasticine.

The important part with this is to keep the lines of the model, but get the plasticine in underneath the model where the cracks are, if the putty is in there, then the silicone won't be and that will prevent skinning (Where a fine layer of silicone covers the part you are supposed to pour into).

You can be pretty rough when applying the silicone, I tend to use a coffee stirrer to push the putty under the model, use a craft knife to cut off the excess to the line and fill in and use the stirrer again to smooth off.

Till you get the above picture.

You will also need to seal off the box because, believe it or not, the silicone will seep under the lego and through the gaps in the bricks. No, I am not kidding! If you look at the white brick to the right, it still has the remains of the silicone after it managed to sneak through the gaps.

You can be rough with this on the outside as it won't affect the model on the inside, be sure to cover all the gaps between the bricks.

5. Preparing the drip method

So what is the drip method all about?

When you mix up silicone you create air bubbles between the mixture, which, if caught up against the model will produce flaws in your final model, imagine if an airbubble settled down next to the model, it would leave a hole next to the object and anything cast would have a bubble attached.

The pro method is to buy a silicone vaccuum tank, but they cost a fortune, so the cheaper method is to use gravity to remove the air trapped in the silicone.

First, cut a hole into the cup with a screwdriver or some sharp implement. Put some tape over the hole, but make sure you are able to take the tape off.

Put the model below and get the cup in a position so the hole will be able to drip silicone into the hole.

6. The drip

This method uses gravity to stretch out the silicone as it slowly drips onto the model, because the stream is so fine, the air bubbles trapped in it pop and you get pure silicone dripping into the model case.

You will need to mix up some silicone in one cup and then pour it into the second cup with the hole. If you want to try be conservative with your silicone (as it costs a fortune!!!) then you can use rice to fill the model to the brim, then empty the rice into a cup and mark off the height, this is the rough amount you'll need. Though I usually have another project that I can use the silicone for.

Also do not use thickners or quick cure agents with the gel or it will clog up and harden long before you have used it all. It needs to be pure drip. I've never used thinning agents, so I couldn't tell you if that would speed up the time from cup to mold.

Take off the tape and watch in wonder as the silicone slowly pours out and becomes a fine stream of liquid. Make sure you manouever the model so that the drips do not touch the model as this could trap air between the two, you want it to hit the space around it and allow the silicone to slew over the model.

You will also have some useable bi product in the other cup, I tend to hang over the model with the mixer cup upside down, you usually get quite a bit dripping out into the model.

You may get little bits on the model while you are adjusting but they should be ok.

Note also how I have positioned the model on the tile, so it's closer to the edge, this will prevent you having to invent ways of getting the drip cup as far away from the edge as possible, if it's closer to the edge then you don't have to put the cup out so far and thus prevent family members and/or pets knocking it over.

Oh and make sure you do it in a room without a breeze, the drip is affected by the slightest breath let alone a breeze!

Finally here you see the silicone beginning to slew around the model, you want to fill this to the brim. In my case I didn't have enough and had to abort the process.

Once it is done LEAVE IT ALONE on the floor for about 3-4 hours, then move it to higher ground.

Leave the mold for 24 hours to cure and then remove the model (plug) from the mold, you may find it a little bit difficult to get the model out, but be patient and work it out gently.

overtime, several costumers and helmet builders have added to it. it's quite comprehensive and a useful tool for getting the properly fitted helmet for your frame.

here's an overview of the thread:

we get alot of questions here about helmet sizes, qualities etc. many of us that have been around a bit have answered the same questons many times. so, i thought i'd take the time and my most recent helmet related post and make a brief "tutorial" on helmet sizing and quality.
if you go to the trading forum, you'll see gypyboy is doing mando helmets for about 80.00. just have to wait for the next run. also, icktan westdar is preping runs of a custom mando-commando helmet for about the same cost. if you want a fett style, sgt. fang over at tdh has cleaned up the old "mystery helmet" and is making continuos orders on those for about 100.00
if it's a funds issue, i would recommend you save a bit longer and invest in th better helmet to start with( a rubies 1 piece jango will cost you 60.00-80.00 shipped). many of us "old timers" here have made the mistake of continuos upgrades to our helmets.... 3-5 helmets, hundreds of dollars and tons of time later we ended up with marrow suns, boba makers, gypsyboys, sgt. fangs etc. i personally am on my 5th helmet, although my 2nd was a keeper it was retired. i currently have a gypsyboy boba i modded and i love it. it's full movie sized and well built.
just my personal opinion here however, most will agree...
boba 1 piece boba: good for young kids only
jango 1 and 2 piece: good for petite to medium women, children and petite men
don post 95-96: good for med or larger women and medium framed men
if you dont fall into on of those, you'll need a movie sized helmet which would be gypsyboy, sgt. fang, boba maker or the wizard of flight templates (for those who wish to make there own).
if you are especially large framed, there is 1 maker of jango fett helmets that makes a helmet that's about 10% larger than the 1:1 helmets. i don't know the maker off hand however, i have a friend with one and i can obtain that info for you if you pm me.
another thing to consider is that the helmet should look slightly large compared to your body if you put it on out of armor. wearing the armor adds alot of size to your frame. so, if you get a helmet that looks proportionat to your body out of armor, youll look likea pellet head in armor. while you shouldnt look like a funko bobblehead with it on out of armor, you should look like you're getting there.
Here is a side x side comparison of buckets and sizes:
left to right...
rubies 1 piece boba, rubies 1 piece jango, rubies 2 piece jango, don post 95, gypsyboy (the one on the end is a rohlan dyre type crusader era helmet)
Courtosey of Taglar Dressk. Gypsyboy vrs. Rubies 1 piece Jango Fett.
to give you an idea of how the helmet looks in relation to the armor for accurate sizing, here's some pix pf me in my armor:
1st helmet, rubies 1 piece. my chin hangs out the bottom and the helmet looks small compared to the armor
3rd helmet, don post 95. helmet size is a bit better but, still small compared to the armor. my chin doesn't hang out anymore but, my face is smooshed against the visor and to get the front to cover the chin, the helmet is tilted so far forward, that the back of my neck is exposed
current helmet, gypsyboy 1:1 movie accurate size. proper fit and proper size ratio to armor
here is a pic of my oldest son in a rubies 1 piece (9 years old)
my youngest son in a rubies jango 1 piece (6 years old)
my gf's son in a rubies 2 piece (7 years old)
my brother in a rubies 1 piece boba, notice how small the helmet/head looks compared to his body (dont mind the rubbish plates they're way to small as well!) his head was lierally smashed into that helmet!
my brother in his upgraded armor with (my old) don post 95 helmet. size ratio corrected. he's a medium build adult 5'10 180lbs.
At the end of the day, you can get a quality resin helmet for only a bit more than a latex helmet that will warp with heat. a quality fiberglass helmet will cost nearly double that of a resin helmet and a really nice cold cost helmet made wih aluminum powder (so you can buff it silver for your base coat) can cost up to and over 300.00. for most costumers, especially customs, i would recommend the resin 1:1 helmets.

Here's an update on this thread. I put this pic together to be added to the CRL's:
The top row is me.
The first pic is in my Jaing Skirata Version 1.0 armor. The helmet is a 1 piece Rubies Deluxe Jango Fett helmet. My chin hangs out of the bottom of the helmet and the helmet is far to narrow and short.
The second pic is me in my A'den 1.0 armor. It is the same armor as the Jaing set but highly modded and repainted. The helmet is a Don Post 95. The size is much better. It's close but no cigar. The helmet is still too narrow and although the chin is now covered, the back of my neck is exposed to accomplish this.
The third pic is me in my last upgrades prior to the SDCC upgrades. The helmet is a 1:1 Gypsyboy MOvie Sized helmet. The height width and length are correct for my body and armor type.
The bottom row is my brother.
The first pic is his Mereel Skirata Verison 1.0 armor. The helmet is a Rubies 1 piece Deluxe Boba Fett. The armor itself is subpar but, the helmet is clearly to small. Too narrow, to short and the chin hung out the bottom.
The second pic is my brother in his Mereel Version 2 armor. The helmet is my old Don Post 95. The helmet is now sized corectly to his body and armor. The problem with the kit at the moment is not that the helmet is too big, it's that the shoulders are too small. A much cheaper and easier fix than a new helmet.
The third pic is my brother in his MEreel kit with his SDCC upgrades. The helmet is the same Don Post 95 helmet. However, the upgrade done to balance the helmet was to dd new, wider shoulders to the kit that foucs the eye downa nd out rather than up and in.
This should be a template to use when you select the helmet for your armor and body and for when you design your armor. Regardless of your body type and size, you can find a helmet that fits you. Although I am adamantly against the Rubies 1 piece helmets, if they will fit your frame, they are the proper helmet to select. At no point have we at the MErcs or will we, unless you're build a screen accurate Fett, tell you that you have to buy a $300.00 Bobamaker helmet or a $400.00 BKBT helmet. But, we will tell you to buy the helmet that fits you best. In general, unless you are VERY small, a 1 piece Rubies or Jango will NOT work for you. In general, medium/large to large framed men NEED a 1:1 movie sized helmet. Medium framed men need something sized to the Don Post 95 or the Asok LFL Jango helmet. A smaller framed man can wear a Rubies 2 piece Jango. For woemn, most women can wear a 2 piece Jango or a Don Post 95. GEnerally a movie sized helmet will be too big. The 1 piece Rubies should really be saved for children unless you're so small that you're the exception to the rule.

Hey all, Saz requested that I do a size comparison of his bucket vrs the Gypsyboy. The internal measurements differ slightly but, side x side they are negligably different. The Gypsyboy is on the left and the Saz is on the right:

here are some shots of a Don Post delux Fiber Glass and a Sgt. Fang

The last one has the size in inches. So unless that bucket your wife has on is a cast of a cast of a cast. not sure why the inside would not fit you. But the smaller Rubies 2 part does.

Rubies Jango 2 part next to a DP Deluxe

But if the one you have is a cast of a cast, then there is a chance that it is a Don post 96 or 95 vinyl. Unless you know for a fact it is a sgt. Fang But as you can see from my pics, no way would a Sgt. Fang not fit but a much smaller Rubies two part does.. ???

People wanted to see how our M-DSB MERCENARY Buy'ce compared in size to a "Mystery" helmet.
"MYSTERY" on Left and OUR M-DSB "MERCENARY" V1 (Med/Lg) on right.HERE IS THE LARGER VERSION of the MERCENARY V2 (Lg/XL)
Please excuse the Bondo on the larger version since we are "cleaning it up" for the Master Mold
"MYSTERY" on Left and OUR on MERCENARY V2 ON RIGHT
BOTH VERSIONS OF THE M-DSB "MERCENARY" TOGETHERThe M-DSB "MERCENARY" V1 (Med/LG) and on the right The M-DSB "MERCENARY" V2 (LG/XL)
Hope this helps my fellow Vode!
OYA!!!
DSB
For more info on our M-DSB Mercenary Buy'ce go to our thread and read the reviews.http://mercs.firespray.net/forum/ind...?topic=17499.0

I'd like to add to my last post...
People also wanted to know about the materials we use and the thickness of our M-DSB MERCENARY Helmets.

Sgt. Fang "Mystery" HelmetOur M-DSB "MERCENARY" Buy'ce!
All of our Buy'ce's are Hand sculpted. We use our own Resin Hybrid Mix that seems to be more resistant than most store bought resins and then we Roto-cast it in 4 layers to add to the durability of our buckets.
I hope this answers those that were asking.
Thanks!DSB

Dunno if anyone would want to sticky this but this is the way I have had most success to weathering without a hassel of a lot of tools

In fact there is 1 tool, you need a electric sander and some fine grit sandpaper!
It is easier if you have a sander that is smaller or one that comes to a point (normally those have some sort of velcro attachment)

(Pictures to come in a second)

The weathering technique is rather simple and adds texture to your armor without the need of a dremel and doesn't make your weathering appear to be flat up close.

Step 1:
Make sure your armor is primed before you paint it, this can lead to the color of your sintra showing through (that can be ok given your base armor dind't have a bunch of colors in it)

Step 1.1
Make sure your armor is completly dry, doing any sort of sanding can smear your paint and give an unplesant look.

Step 1.2
Put on a mask, most paints have LEAD and can be toxic if inhaled

-___________
Step 2

Place your peice of armor on somthing sturdy, clamp it if you want or hold it in your hand if you are strong enough
You will want to avoid the armor from moving otherwise you get a effect that I will picture below

Step 3

Start Sanding!
This way of doing it is very random, don't try to place your sander in just one area. If you are really bored roll up some tape in multiple balls and throw it at your armor, then use those areas for your battle scars!
((only if you have nothing else to do))

3.1 Start with a lower pressure and work your way up, lift the sander to see what the result is and if you think it needs more press harder

3.2 (making bullet effects) Remember that a blaster shouldn't affect bes'kar just its paint, energy shots would hit and deflect or just evaporate, bullet shots shouldn't be full circles and should be a little oblonged (in my opinion) Start by pressing down at an angle (if you are using a pointed sander) or by pressing down flat (only do this if you are on a "hill in your armor so not your entire sander is hitting the armor) rotate in a circle and lift, finetune by shaping how you desireAttachment 42123
3.3 (Making slashed effects) Claws, swords, and lightsabers exist in the star wars universe, if you are upclose and personal be sure to reflect it! (parry first haha) Take the edge of your sander and just press firm, you can do this multiple times in teh same line or parallel to give it a longer or claw apperance.

I've been asked by a few people how to install my RF kit, so since my best mate's birthday was yesterday and he's had a bit of a keen interest in my helmet building, I built him a helmet and used it as an excuse to give you a photo step tutorial on how to build your RF.

A little bit of a disclaimer first though, this is for my RF kits, the RF kit you have purchased may have a different way of going together than mine, but the principle *should* be the same.

So here we go:

Items I used:

Dremel with:

Cutting tool
Etching tool

Glue gun
Ruler
Pencil
Permanent marker

Bondo/car body filler can also be used for filling gaps.

Step 1: Making a hole

Take your RF stalk and, using a rule find the biggest distance from end to end. Use a pencil to mark a line where the diameter is at its greatest point. Where the circular part of the RF meets the body of the stalk, draw a line to cut it off and then measure the distance from this line to the edge of the circular part, draw a line where the distance is the greatest.

Where the two lines cross is the centre of the circular part of the stalk.

You can use a drill, but I used my etcher for quickness.

Note: I add a flat piece of wood during casting to add strength to my stalks, you may find this will take a bit more effort to drill through.

Step 2: Test fitting and marking the drill hole

Once you have your hole in your stalk, you will want to make a corresponding hole in the helmet, but how do you ensure that the RF will work when you drill your hole? Here's a little trick:

I push a screw through the hole in the RF stalk, the following picture is for example, the point shouldn't be that far out, in fact it should just stick out the bottom of the hole in the stalk.

Holding the screw firmly ( but not pushing down on it) place the RF where you think it should be lying:

Then, using the screw as the fulcrum, rotate the RF stalk until it touches the bottom half, if it doesn''t do this square, return the RF to the "upright" position and move the RF slightly till it does, it may take a bit of trial and error until you get it landing flush against both edges:

Once you are 100% happy, push down on the screw and rotate it a couple of times whilst pushing down. It should make a small indent. I generally tend to mark the indent with a permanent marker, just incase I have to leave the project or do something else, immediately after I have removed the screw from the ear piece like so:

I used my dremel etching tool again to cut the hole out, but you can use a drill if you are careful:

You can then test fit with your bolt to ensure that the fit is ok:

Step 3: Prepping the earcap

When the bolt is in, use a bit of paint to paint the end and guide the ear cap onto it, it will leave a mark, where the centre of the bolt will be. As I use a flat square bolt head to cover it, I can then put the bolt head where the paint centre is and draw around it to know where I need to cut into the earcap.

Now, I generally tend to like having a bit of play between the Earcap and the RF, so what I do is make a line on the stalk where the stalk meets the edge of the ear housing on the helmet in the upright position:

I then cut a small section away from the stalk up to that line using the rotary cutter tool on my dremel:

Once cut, re-attach to the helmet and test fit thenotch cut, adjust and cut more as necessary:

As you can see from the picture, I use the rotary cutting tool to remove the rest of the bolt, leaving it failry flush to the bolt head.

I then use the etching tool to create the dent in the earcap to house the square bolt head:

Test fit and adjust until it sits nice and flush:

Step 4: The RF box

My boxes are designed to be light, but that also makes them fairly flimsy, you can reinfoce the box with card, or bondo if you wish, but here is the basic way of ensuring the box goes together.

There are two parts to the RF box, the hood:

And what I lovingly call the widget:

The widget fits inside the hood, ensuring that there is a lip overlapping like so:

These can be glued together, with any holes filled with bondo, there is a small gap around where the widget fits into the hood and I usually like to fill that in to give the illusion it is one unit.

My RF stalk comes with a small lip and you can either cut it off and do it your way or you can mark up where the lip would lie onto the box:

Then use the etching tool to route out a line where the tab can slot into.

However, with my kits a little bit of sanding is required to ensure the straight head fits the angular box, it's just a question of you sanding and test fitting.

When you are ready to glue your stalk you can either work it your way or you can do it my way in which I glue the stalk into the hole and onto the side of the lip with hot glue, this makes it a lot more sturdy.

You can fill gaps obviously with bondo.

Once you're done you can then attach the RF to the helmet and then attach the earcap. I tend to use a little hot glue, but if you want to use magnets, it's just using the Dremel etching tool.